CEIV Pharma

Putting pharmaceuticals back in the air

A concentrated effort to improve the level of competency as well as operational and technical prepared ness is urgently required to stop the alarming decline of air cargo’s market share of global pharmaceutical product transport.

The industry identified a need to build a network of certified pharmaceutical trade lanes that meet consistent standards and assure product integrity. As a result, IATA has taken a leading role in supporting the air transport industry to comply with pharmaceutical manufacturers' requirements.

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Setting new standards

Working alongside aviation industry stakeholders and regulators, IATA created the Center of Excellence for Independent Validators in Pharmaceutical Logistics (CEIV Pharma), to help organizations and the entire air cargo supply chain to get on the right track to achieve pharmaceutical handling excellence.

CEIV Pharma addresses industry’s need for more safety, security, com pliance and efficiency, by the creation of a globally consistent and recognized pharmaceutical product handling certification.

By establishing a common baseline from existing regulations and standards, this certification ensures international and national compliance to safeguard product integrity while addressing specific air cargo needs.

CEIV Pharma encompasses, or even supersedes, many of the existing pharmaceutical standards and guidelines such as:

CEIV Trade Lane Certification

A CEIV trade lane is a general classification of any transport-related activities between two defined countries. A trade lane is CEIV Pharma/Live Animals/Fresh certified if the origin and destination is being linked by CEIV certified transport companies (such as an airline, ground handler, freight forwarder or a trucking company), throughout each stage of the journey from origin to destination (i.e. at no point is the shipment handled or transferred to a non-CEIV certified entity or a subcontracted entity not under the strict SLAs established under the CEIV certification process).

It is also important to note that a company, such as an airline, is not CEIV certified for its network (including all online stations) unless all their stations went through the certification and/or Ground Service Providers have obtained CEIV Certification.

An industry-wide standard

Transporting and handling pharmaceuticals present both challenges and opportunities for all cold chain industry participants.

The business relies on air transport for its speed, consistency and efficiency in delivering high-value, time-sensitive, temperature-controlled products.

However, aviation industry stakeholders must overcome big challenges, such as insufficient expertise, inadequate infrastructure, ill-equipped facilities, and increased regulations, as they strive to provide the high-quality services pharmaceutical shippers expect.